BIOGRAPHY

ROCCO ZIFARELLI is a versatile guitar player from Rome-Italy who has collaborated with many Italian and international artists of many different styles - from jazz to rock, big band and orchestral.He is the winner of the 1st edition (1991) of the prestigious Italian Eddie Land Guitar Contest dedicated to the young generation of jazz guitarists.Since 1997 Rocco performs regularly and tours internationally with the renowned film music composer and director ENNIO MORRICONE (Academy Award and Golden Globe multi-nominee and winner) appearing on the stages of the best theatres and locations all over the world as Tokio International Forum,Osaka Festival Hall, Barbican Center and Royal Albert Hall of London, The Kremlin of Moscow, Palais des Congrès of Paris, Arena di Verona, Sala Nervi in Rome, Teatro alla Scala of Milan, Movistar Arena in Santiago de Chile, Adelaide Festival, 2010 Shanghai Expo, Great Hall of the People of Beijing, Herodion Theater of Athens, Sejong Cultural Centre of Seoul, Radio City Music Hall of New York City and many others.In 2007 he performed with Morricone at the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York to welcome incoming Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.This was his second experience at the United Nation: in 2005 he was invited in New York with his band to perform for the annual International Symposium.In the same period Rocco joined the american repertory ensemble, "THE MAHAVISHNU PROJECT" in their on going interpretations of the seminal fusion music of John McLaughlin & The Mahavishnu Orchestra touring East USA and Europe.As sideman Rocco has made hundreds of recordings and concerts with many great musicians of jazz and pop music as Paul Mc Candless, Tony Scott, Bob Mintzer, Gege' Telesforo, Massimo Urbani, Matthew Garrison, Paolo Belli, Giorgia, Adriano Celentano, Ivano Fossati, Renato Zero, Cristiano De Andrè, Dulce Pontes, Teresa Salgueiro, Angelo Branduardi, Pietro e Pino Iodice, Pippo Matino, Lester Bowie, Stefano Di Battista, Rosario Giuliani, Roberto Gatto, Dominique Di Piazza, Jeff Berlin, Danny Gottlieb, Steve Hunt ,Robin Eubanks, Roger Biwanduand many others.He also has been associate guitarist in the RAI italian Television Orchestra from 1996 to 2005 in many important TV music shows as "Fantastico" and the most important italian pop music happening "Festival di Sanremo" under the conduction of renown directors and composers as Gianni Ferrio, Peppe Vessicchio and Nicola Piovani (Academy Award winner for "Life is beautiful" and Cannes Film Festival winner for “La Stanza Del Figlio”).Rocco also plays custom electric-oud, mandolin, synth guitar, fretless guitar and other stringed instruments from many parts of the world, widely used in many recording sessions, receiving rave reviews from music critics and famous guitarists such as Scott Henderson, Pat Metheny, Steve Khan, Dominic Miller and many others.His first release, "LYNDON" (produced by Via Veneto Jazz and distributed in Italy by Universal) is the result of his many years of musical growth and experience. This recording features the musicians Rocco has worked with for many years, as well as brass, strings, and some very special guests. The album is a lavish production which reveals Zifarelli as an incredible composer, arranger and band leader. In fact Rocco’s interpretation and arrangement of the JacoPastorius composition “Havona” (from LYNDON) has been included on a CD tribute to the great fusion band Weather Report "Mysterious Voyages – A Tribute To Weather Report", produced by the German label E.S.C., includind world class artists as Tribal Tech, Marcus Miller, Jim Beards and many others.He's currently at work on his new CD, with great international artists such Francis Lassus (France), Linley Marthe (Maurice Island), PacoSery (Ivory Coast), Alex Sipiagin (Russia-USA), Dario Deidda (Italy), Giovanni Imparato (Italy), Yassin Afrocut (Belgium) and Freddy J (France-Martinica) for a multicultural mixture of original jazz,rock, acoustic and electronic tracks, as well as two arranged Morricone’s compositions.With these musicians he has formed his own band to play in some important jazz festival and venues in Italy and Europe. In June 2012 he has been invited at the Festival Jazz of Abidjan-Ivory Coast.After an audition in Paris in 2009 he's joined the DEFUNKT, a newyorker funk,jazz,rock collective leaded by the trombonist and singer Joe Bowie, corrently touring and performing the most important european jazz festivals. For this collaboration he moved to Paris from 2010 to 2012, a great experience in one of the best music place in the world.Rocco teaches Jazz and Pop Guitar at the State Music Conservatory of L'Aquila and “G.Verdi” of Milano. He's an international artist endorser of the famous brands Kemper Amp, Agostin Custom Guitars, Zoom Audio & Video, Ernie Ball Strings, and Ibanez Guitars, andcollaborated in the past also withYamaha, Godin Guitars, Galli strings, DV-Mark e MarkBass Amplifier, Roland e Boss pedals and Ableton.